WSDP Bulletin (26-04-2022)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. What is Cost disease READ MORE
2. India’s Labour Force Market Down From 46% To 40% In 6 Years: CMIE Report READ MORE
3. At $76.6 billion, India is third highest military spender in world, says report READ MORE
4. States vs Centre on selection of Vice-Chancellors: rules, friction READ MORE
5. Edible oil industry suggests govt initiate dialogue with Indonesia over palm oil ban READ MORE
6. COVID-19: Wasting in children increased in low, middle income countries due to economic shock READ MORE
7. Explained | The Raisina Dialogue 2022 and its significance READ MORE
8. Explained: European Union ground rules for Web READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. The likely demographic impact of the covid pandemic READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Data, interrupted: Reviving the official household spending survey is only a first step READ MORE  
2. View: The core issues for regulators in India are inadequate autonomy and lack of parliamentary accountability READ MORE
3. A paradigm shift in higher education READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The climate crisis threatens universal health care achievements READ MORE
2. The Great Indian Poverty Debate, 2.0 READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. To counter China’s BRI, MEA launches growth model READ MORE
2. India, again, ‘Country of Particular Concern’ on religious freedom grounds, says U.S. Commission READ MORE
3. India, Europe and the Russian complication READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Bolstering IBC architecture – a joke READ MORE
2. The poverty debate is an opportunity for food subsidy reforms READ MORE
3. RBI’s hawkish stance on liquidity READ MORE
4. Regulating digital assets READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 

1. Centre-state coordination must for cleaner air READ MORE
2. Fulfilling CoP26 promises can limit global warming to 2°C: Study READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Learning to overcome prolonged grief READ MORE
2. Integrity is a way of life READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Analyse the importance of public data gathered from various surveys for effective policymaking by the government.
2. How far do you agree with this view that as India faces the dilemma of inflation and economic recession, the RBI should not focus on controlling inflation and consider other tools in its MPC meeting? Analyse your view with the help of appropriate examples.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Example, whether good or bad, has a powerful influence.
• Reviving the official household spending survey is only a first step.
• The greatest wrong of the pandemic is how inequitable the rollout of health tools has been.
• The world faces its greatest challenge since the founding of the UN after the Second World War. Historic challenges need historic leadership and time is not on our side.
• Ukraine war has persuaded Delhi to recalibrate its great power relations, compelled Brussels to wake up from geopolitical slumber.
• India appears to have had neither a baby boom nor bust but we do need the numbers for policy planning.
• We must remain focused on the issues of youth, education and employment, and at the same time of the elderly, namely healthcare, elderly care and pensions. This bar-belling of requirements will require skilful political navigation.
• CCRI has placed India as one of the 33 extremely high-risk countries with flooding and air pollution being the repeated environmental shocks, leading to socio-economic adverse consequences for women and children. The Covid pandemic made us a bit more conscious of our food choices and reduced food waste.
• We must build on that and insist on calculated purchasing and single-use packaging as the shopping norm. The mindset has to change from ‘food abundance’ mode to ‘food scarcity’.
• Against the backdrop of the poverty debate Sparked by the IMF and the World Bank working papers, the Centre must consider reforming food subsidies meaningfully.
• With inflation rising, a slower monetary policy tightening by RBI could accelerate de-anchoring of inflation expectations. RBI might “bite the bullet” by hiking policy rates in upcoming MPC meetings.

50-WORD TALK

• Emmanuel Macron’s re-election as France’s President is a triumph for European centrists. His rival, Marine Le Pen, had vowed to pull France out of NATO, scrap the Euro and slash taxes. Economic hardship and social divisions helped Le Pen—but most voters realised her populist nationalism wouldn’t solve these problems.
• The increasingly frequent fire incidents involving electric two-wheelers is worrying news for the emerging automobile sector. Manufacturers and the government should urgently put their heads together and come up with tough standards for EV batteries and e-bikes. Transition to EVs is critical but can’t be at the cost of safety.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.